As the Internet has evolved to provide increasing amounts and diverse types of data, Internet broadcasting which provides multimedia using the general Internet according to scheduling has become possible as well as related-art broadcasting using a terrestrial, satellite, or cable-dedicated channel. Further, a broadcast and communication-converged multimedia service in which related-art broadcasting and Internet broadcasting are more organically combined to provide various services has arisen as a realistic service.
Broadcasting service providers (e.g., broadcasting companies) may transmit contents through not only a dedicated channel but also the Internet, and even a broadcasting service provider who transmits contents through only the Internet without a dedicated broadcasting channel has appeared. Accordingly, regardless of whether it is a broadcasting company using both the dedicated channel and the Internet or a broadcasting company using only the Internet, it is required to promote its own program contents to viewers and to allow the viewers to plan to view the program contents by delivering the program contents together with its own program scheduling information to viewers. Even by providing a “replay service” through the Internet, the broadcasting company allows the viewers to view contents later which the viewers did not view during the original airing. In related-art broadcasting, such a type of information is referred to as an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), and is referred to as a Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) in a North American type and Service Information (SI) in a European type on the basis of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) system standard. Further, it is referred to as Program Specific Information (PSI) in the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-2 system standard widely used in a related-art digital TeleVision (TV) scheme. Although both the PSI and the PSIP are transmitted together in the North American type, a viewer may select a program only by the PSIP. In the European type, both the PSI and the SI are transmitted together and a program may be selected only by the PSI, but various pieces of guide information for the program are additionally provided through the SI. In the present specification, such types of pieces of information are collectively referred to as Service Specific Information (SSI).
Unlike the related-art broadcasting using the dedicated channel, the Internet broadcasting is globally provided. Accordingly, the Internet broadcasting can be accessed through the Internet anywhere in the world that a receiver which can receive the Internet broadcasting exists, beyond a regional property of the related-art broadcasting. Therefore, only when the Internet broadcasting is provided in a unique single type in the world to overcome the regional property of the related-art broadcasting standard which is largely classified into North America, Europe, and Japan, an unnecessary increase in complexity of the receiver can be prevented. From this viewpoint, the SSI also requires the standard in a single type.
A new broadcast and communication-converged broadcasting system is expected to be based on the Internet. That is, a receiver will read not only program contents through the related-art broadcasting channel but also program contents through the Internet, insert the read program contents into the SSI in a machine-readable form, and then transmit the SSI, so that the SSI will be acquired through the broadcasting channel or the Internet, used for controlling broadcast reception, and shown in a viewer-readable form as needed. Of course, an Internet broadcasting company which does not use a dedicated broadcasting channel will transmit SSI through the Internet.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.